When players reach the second story island of Raft (really a ship called the Vasagatan), their reward for reaching the bridge is a receiver code for the next destination and a set of blueprints for an engine and a steering wheel. By combining these objects, players can move their raft against the ocean current for the very first time.
However, Raft players may end up wondering where their engines should go, why they aren't turning, or why they're stuttering and refusing to move the raft. That's why this guide will explain how to use the engine, how to use the steering wheel, and how many engines a raft may require.
Engine Essentials
Once players have the engine blueprint, they'll need to research it from the research table. This shouldn't be hard since it doesn't require any new parts: just metal ingots, rope, planks, and a circuit board.
After that, players will need to place the engine, which occupies a 3x2 grid. One set of three needs to be foundations, and the other set needs to be open so that the engine wheel can fit in the water. In addition, players should make sure the wheel is on the side of the raft rather than the back, because it turns sideways like an old steamer ship wheel.
Players should always reinforce engine foundations with armor. The shark will attack any exposed foundation square, and this includes the ones underneath the engine. If any of the three foundations under the engine get destroyed, this will also destroy the engine. An alternative is to create a three-square space inside the raft for the engine wheel, but this is risky since the shark can sometimes attack internal foundation squares if there's enough space around them.
Once players have placed their engine, they can interact with it at three points. On the right is a lever that turns the engine on and off. In the middle is a lever that turns the wheel to the left or to the right. On the left is a furnace where players can feed in planks to power the engine.
Each engine can hold up to 17 planks, and they burn through them at a fairly rapid pace. Players should take care to have a lot of planks on hand and gather more of them from the sea to keep their engines fed. Engines can also run on biofuel, either added directly or through a central fueling system, but since the biofuel blueprint is on another story island a player's first run has to use planks.
The last thing players should note is the calculation scrawled on the right side of the engine. Like it says, one wheel is strong enough to push 100 foundation blocks, and if the raft is too big the engine will churn and stutter and not move the raft. Fortunately, the game only counts foundation blocks and not collection nets, additional floors, or heavy equipment.
To move a big raft with between 100 and 200 foundations, players will need two engines, or three for a raft with 201+ foundations and so on. However, the game stops counting after six engines, which can power a raft of any size. Also, even a player with a small raft may want two engines, since one engine isn't strong enough to reach the raft's maximum possible speed.
Engines will stutter and grind whenever they aren't able to push the raft, though they also don't burn any fuel. This can happen for several reasons:
- The raft is too big for the number of engines.
- Two or more engines are trying to move the raft in opposite directions.
- The anchor is down.
- At least one needed engine is out of fuel.
The Steering Wheel
To make good use of an engine, players will also need to install a steering wheel. The wheel connects to a rudder underneath the raft, and with it players can finally point their raft in any direction they like.
The way to use a steering wheel is the same as the way to use a sail: simply hold down the R key and move the mouse left or right to turn the raft in that direction. The wheel has one large spoke that indicates which way the raft is turning, and while it will stay turning when players walk away, it will center itself if players bring it close to the middle.
Players should also keep in mind that a sail still has its uses after they upgrade to an engine or two. A sail can't override or add to an engine's speed, but it also doesn't burn planks to operate. This makes it the better choice for players who aren't in a hurry or have run out of planks to burn.
Raft is available now on PC.